Review of Chinatown (1974) by Joe C — 04 Jan 2015
It is perhaps unfashionable to praise such prosaic qualities as acting, script and directing in a noir film, but this no ordinary noir film. Polanski's fiendish film beat of genre of anything pleasant and shoved us into the bitter, twisted side of the 30's and concludes with a killer twist.
Starring Jack Nicholson as the duped-but-determined gumshoe Jake Gittes, Chinatown explored an oft-forgotten chapter in Los Angeles' history while bringing film noir back to brilliant life for the '70s.
Towne's script is deliciously sick, tonal, insanely well-written and ripe with twists and double-crosses. Alanzo's brilliant cinematography is quintessential of the time and feels like it belongs in the genre's heyday.
Chinatown is an example of a director in perfect control of his craft. Noir has never been better than this.
This review of Chinatown (1974) was written by Joe C on 04 Jan 2015.
Chinatown has generally received very positive reviews.
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